BIG IDEAS. REAL STAGES. A PLACE FOR EVERYONE.

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NorCal Arts
OnStage students share their original performance

Create a character. Build a performance.

OnStage

Create the characters. Shape the story. OnStage brings students together to devise and perform a play of their own.

Program details

THE EXPERIENCE

Their imagination. Their shared story.

Created by Cynthia Speakman more than 25 years ago and now presented through NorCal Arts, OnStage has sparked the imagination of thousands of students across the Sacramento region. Participants create characters, learn lines, play theatre games, and work together toward a family presentation while developing confidence, collaboration, speaking, and reading skills.

Imagine
Dream up your character
Create
Build stories, sets, and scenes together
Reveal
Bring it all to life, OnStage!

After School Classes

After School Classes

Find OnStage at your school. Classes are available only to students enrolled at each participating school.

Registration closed

Leonardo da Vinci K–8

Fall 2026 · Tuition $250

Grades 4–8: Wednesdays, September 2–October 28, 2026, 3:12–5:15 p.m. Performance: October 28 at 6 p.m.

Grades 1–4: Thursdays, September 3–October 29, 2026, 2:12–4:15 p.m. Performance: October 29 at 6 p.m.

Fall registration is closed; these details are for participating families. Winter session coming soon. Dates and enrollment details are being prepared.

Fly Brave

Fly Brave Theatre Classes.

Designed for neurodiverse individuals ages 16 and up and hosted by the Fly Brave Foundation. Create characters, play theatre/improv games, and build a performance together. Classes alternate between the Fly Brave Coffee Shop and Zoom.

  • Fall 2026

    Fall 2026

    Tuesdays · September 22–December 15 · 6–7 p.m.

    No class November 24. Classes alternate between Fly Brave Coffee Shop and Zoom. Final performance: December 18, 2026 at 6 p.m.; venue to be announced.

OnStage History

OnStage & NorCal Arts

OnStage Theatre Arts was founded in 2000 by Cynthia Speakman, an actor and arts educator with a degree in Elementary and Special Education from Texas Christian University. Since 1993, she has performed on stage, in film and commercials, and with Sacramento storytelling groups.

Cynthia founded OnStage at Leonardo da Vinci K–8, where she reached more than 3,000 students. Now part of NorCal Arts, the program continues to help students build confidence, spark creativity, strengthen collaboration, and develop communication skills through creating and performing plays together.